Map of the universo from El Cerro

2016 - Installation (Installation)

48 3/4 x 49 inches

Chemi Rosado-Seijo

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Map of the Universe from El Cerro continues Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s long-term engagement with the community of El Cerro , a rural, working-class community living in the mountains of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. The project was initiated in 2002 by painting the exteriors of residents’ homes different shades of green, paying homage to the way the community has been built in harmony with the topography of the mountains where it stands. Through negotiation and collaboration with community leaders, volunteers, students and residents, over 100 homes have been painted. In 2010 Rosado-Seijo and the El Cerro community began the arduous process of repainting the homes. In preparing the surface of the walls they scratched and peeled off layers of paint from years of accumulation, which were saved and later brought into the studio to be re-examined. By framing the readymade forms that the remnants of paint created, Rosado-Seijo developed a series of works that catalogue artifacts from the project while referencing topographical maps that the paint fragments resemble, such as the island of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Americas, or in the case, the universe. The fragments are presented as specimens, viewable from either side, revealing the residues from bygone years. Playing the role of cartographer and historian, Rosado-Seijo constructs narratives filled with political and geographic tensions while reminding us of the interconnectedness of human architecture.

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Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s work consists of community-based interventions linked to the site where they have been developed. Often his artwork, projects or interventions are set and/or developed with the communities that have inspired them. He graduated from the painting department of the Puerto Rico School of Visual Arts in 1997. In 1998, he worked with Michy Marxuach to open a gallery that transformed into a not-for-profit organization presenting resources and exhibitions for contemporary artists in Puerto Rico. In 2006, he inaugurated La Perla’s Bowl, a sculpture built with residents of San Juan’s La Perla community that functions as both a skateboarding ramp and an actual pool. Since 2009, Rosado-Seijo has been organizing exhibitions in his apartment in Santurce, creating a center for meeting and exchange in the Puerto Rican contemporary art scene.

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Colors:

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• community.n.01
• neighborhood.n.02
• class.n.03
• rural.a.01
• landscape.n.01
• collaboration.n.01
• mural.n.01